Thing of the month: Field Trip

Jun 1, 2017

Steven Tran,

fourth-year undergraduate, New Jersey Institute of Technology

“Don’t we all want to feel welcomed when visiting a new city? Field Trip suggests off-the-beaten-path attractions at any destination, with advice from the locals on places to explore. Choose from six interest categories: Architecture; Historic Places & Events; Lifestyle; Food, Drinks, & Fun; Cool & Unique; and Arts & Museums. You can listen to info via headphones while walking to these places. It uses Google Maps to pinpoint your location, and it’s pretty cool.”

Useful?

I used the app to visit New York City to see what types of attractions were nearby. It mostly brought me to restaurants. I stopped at an ice cream shop and, to be honest, it was really just average ice cream. However, some of the local attractions that were in walking distance from there were fun to explore.

Fun?

Not gonna lie: The walk to get the ice cream was a bit shady. I didn’t expect to feel uncomfortable, but there isn’t really a guide on how to get to your destination safely. The idea of the app is fun, though.

Effective?

Overall, this app does its job—and maybe in less-touristy places, I’d have a better experience. It’s a great tool to help narrow searches to attractions nearby, instead of using Google, where you might be overloaded by info.